生徒会長 - 発見! Seitou Kaichou hakken One Student Council President Found
by Willowbright
Summary: In which Ren Amamiya slyly observes Shujin's student council president demonstrating her skills in stealth and espionage and decides to playfully confront her about it. As for Makoto Niijima herself, she learns the transfer student isn't the incorrigible, violent delinquent everyone makes him out to be. But a Phantom Thief? Still to be ascertained! For Shumako Week 2020: Free Day


**生徒会長 - 発見! [Seitou Kaichou hakken!] One Student Council President Found!**

"Is he...taking a selfie with his cat?"

The Student Council President watches the infamous transfer student raise his phone skyward, then tilts it at a slight angle. As if right on cue, a black cat pops out of his school bag and perches on his left shoulder. From her point of view, the cat appeared to rub its nose on the transfer student's ear before diving back into his bag.

She blinks at this discovery. "That's kind of cute."

It would also explain why she thought she heard meowing in the hallways, on the rooftop, and even around the school entrance.

The transfer student deftly navigates the hectic hallways of the Underground Mall, like a herring swimming upstream, away from the crowd, and stops in front of the music store. She takes this opportunity to jot down another "observation" and to review what she's gathered so far as intel.

Troublemaker. Prone to violence. A gang member. If you hung out with him, you could kiss your social and academic life goodbye. Yet, all her observations in the past week proved none of those accusations to be true. If Makoto Niijima had to describe the infamous transfer student, Ren Amamiya, in one word based on her current investigations it would be: "peculiar". He seemed like the quiet type and often kept to himself. Not once had she seen him deliberately cause trouble for anyone or anything. He always spoke politely to his teachers and never responded to any provocations or accusations. However, he had unusual habits like buying out vending machine drinks (in fact, he was doing it now!) and all the bread at the local bakery and muttering to himself or rather to his cat. Twice she caught him staring off into space in a narrow alley. There was nothing so far, that consistently and emphatically pointed to Phantom Thievery - whatever that entailed.

* * *

The Delinquent Transfer Student chuckles quietly to himself as he inspects his "selfie".

"One Student Council President: Found."

"This isn't a scavenger hunt, Ren. It was one thing for her to follow you around school. But now, she's stalking you around the city?"

Ren regards the pricing for _ Classical Hits_. Babel Records Music Store had quite an eclectic collection of music from jazz to J-pop to the good ol' classics. There was even a CD collection for Rakugo fans containing stories told by Yoncha-tei Nokisuke - whoever that was.

"Aww, what's the big deal? If we need to, we can lose her like that." he says with a snap of his fingers. He saunters past the music store and heads towards the flower shop. He is about to walk past High Sense Japanese Sundries when the Japanese patterned _ Book Covers _ on display catches his eye. He rubs the crepe fabric between his fingers and considers buying one for one of his library books.

He casually turns his head and sees the Student Council President looking at the same poster for Classical Hits with her hand on her chin, as if contemplating whether or not to splurge on it. He keeps moving towards Rafflesia and decides he'll buy a book cover another time. "I don't know what she expects to find following me out here, but I think it's safe to say she harbors no ill intent. Just look at her."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as she raises her dictionary-sized magazine up to her face and walks in his direction only to nearly crash into a couple of shoppers. She quickly sidesteps them, bows three times in apology, and promptly retreats behind a pillar plastered with garish ads for a kitschy maid cafe. His fingers fan out over his face and he pushes his frames up in an attempt to disguise his laughter. Morgana side-eyes him.

"You just met with Ann-dono earlier. And to the student council president, she's another one of Kamoshida's victims - a suspect with a motive. What if she puts two and two together?"

"You think she saw that? I hope not…" Ren says with an air of flippancy but Morgana takes no notice of it.

"I hope so too. Don't let your guard down. She has to be pretty sharp if she already suspects you of being a Phantom Thief."

"I know." The boy pretends to window shop for bountiful floral arrangements and sacks of fertilizer at Rafflesia Flower Shop. He was already up to his ears in plant nutrients and if he really wanted, he'd buy Mega Fertilizer over at Flower Shop Sukebe. Only the best for his plant. He picks up a _ Mini Cactus_, daring himself to poke its needles, but decides he isn't feeling particularly gutsy at the moment. He sets it back down and glances in her direction. The Student Council President is now inching away from the pillar, apparently appalled by the sheer amount maid cafe ads, like an overlapping of large milkweed bugs clustered on one side of a fence post.

* * *

"Wonder how much she suspects...?" he mutters to himself.

Morgana paws his shoulder. "Okay Ren, I have an idea on how we're going to ditch her and this time it doesn't involve the bathroom - wait, wait, wait! Where are you going?!"

Mischief sparks in his eye and plays upon his lips, drawing them back in a devilish smirk that before, could only be witnessed on the battlefield of a parallel world by those he called his teammates. With a sudden twist of unpredictability, he turns on his heel and strides towards the Student Council President. She appears to notice this and lifts her CHANCE magazine higher, as if completely engrossed by the manga's art style and creative use of screentones.

"Oi, Ren! What're you doing!? We're supposed to be keeping a low profile!" Morgana hisses through clenched teeth.

"Relax. I just want to talk." His steps are slow and deliberate as he approaches the inconspicuously-conspicuous council president and her ludicrously oversized magazine. He casually slides his hands inside his pockets and slouches his shoulders, making sure to keep his smirk in check and transforms it into a meek smile.

"Miss Student Council President?" The tone of his voice suggests their encounter is a pleasant surprise, as if he was not expecting to see her in the middle of Shibuya of all places.

She lowers the magazine.

"Oh, hello!" She matches his small, polite smile with one of her own. "M-my, what a coincidence. I'm just informing Shujin students not to hang around this area for too long. There's been an increase in reports of suspicious people scamming high school students due to a drop in security. Please be careful on your way home."

He raises an eyebrow. "Have you been telling that to every student you see?"

"Yes. But they don't listen. They just think I'm only here to get them in trouble." She shakes her head dejectedly.

"Sounds rough." he says, offering her an empathetic smile.

He sounded genuinely concerned. She tugs at a few loose strands of hair before tucking them behind her ear.

"Yeah, I'm…" She's about ready to confide in him all the complaints she's harbored for the past few weeks but then remembers her position and who she's dealing with. She forces a placid smile and clears her throat.

"Just doing my job. It _ is _ the duty of the student council president, after all."

"I would expect the student council president to be busy with meetings and the like."

"Not today. But normally we would be having meetings regarding the school budget, administrative duties, safety regulations, and _buzzbuzzbuzz_..."

She prattles on about concepts Ren does not entirely understand and he lazily chalks it up to "student council activities that no one else bothers to care about run by the Queen Bee herself".

"...And to make sure certain students aren't getting themselves into trouble. Of course, that goes for you, Sakamoto-kun, and Takamaki-san."

That polite mask of a smile remains but his countenance has become flinty. He clicks his tongue. "So. Miss Student Council President-"

"Niijima. Makoto Niijima. I'd prefer it if you called me by my name. 'Student council president' is quite a mouthful, wouldn't you say?"

He gives her a curt nod. "Very well then, Niijima-san."

"Yes, Amamiya-kun?"

His next response is cold and clipped. "I'm sure someone as busy as you can't just be here to _ police _ Shujin students passing by, am I right?"

Normally, Makoto considers herself thick-skinned but for some odd reason, that hiss in his voice irks her. The only thing hinting at her rising temper is a vein pulsating above her brow but she quickly smothers the feeling. She draws herself to full height and thrusts out her chin, looking him straight in the eye.

"The position of student council president comes with numerous responsibilities. Primarily the wellbeing of the students. I don't know what it was like at your previous school but at Shujin Academy, those who have been bestowed a leadership role are expected to go above and beyond their duty."

For a moment she feels justified. But then regrets her last remark. She had snapped back at him all to protect her fragile ego. If the transfer student was insulted, he made no signs of showing it.

He only shifts his weight and replies with a terse, "I see."

The juxtaposition in the way that she carried herself in a dignified manner while holding that door stopper of a magazine aimed at puerile teenagers, made for an inherently amusing sight. He suppresses the urge to laugh by pinching his nose, apparently failing for she glares at him, under the impression he's mocking her.

She points at one of the shops and he follows her gaze. "As I said before, I need to warn students to not dawdle in this area. It used to be Shinjuku's Red Light District that you had to watch out for but now, scam artists have expanded their territory to certain areas in the Underground Mall."

He watches as two dark-haired teenagers dressed in black slacks and starched, white shirts paired with a striped black and white tie, slink into the "Body Chop" shop.

Where had he seen those uniforms before…?

_ "What do you think of the Phantom Thieves?" _

_ Who said that? _

His mouth parts slightly. There was only one answer.

_ They are justice itself. _

A small sigh and the sound of a crinkled magazine breaks him out of his introspection. "Besides...it's not like I was given much choice in the matter." He hears Niijima mutter under her breath.

Ren turns back to find her kneading the magazine's spine. She is also shifting her weight from side to side. He figures her discomfort is a combination of sore feet from walking and standing for long periods of time even before she started tailing him.

_ This is ridiculous if she's being made to do this. Student council president or not, the school shouldn't be pushing all this onto a third year girl. Shouldn't they be hiring the police for an investigation or something? Not that I'd want that to happen either. I think we both know we're wasting our time here. _

He exhales slowly.

_ What if I just give her a reason to go home and then we both don't have to put up with this farce? Let's try this again. _

"So-"

"Hey-"

"Sorry, after you."

He gestures his hand towards her and she shakes her head and gestures back.

"No, I'm sorry! Please, go ahead!"

"Pardon me if I'm mistaken but," he says, brushing some of his hair to the side. "You looked like you wanted to ask me something."

There is a tentative pause and he assumes she's thinking of the best way to pose her question as carefully as she can.

"If you don't mind, it's about Kamoshida. How did you feel about him confessing to all his crimes?"

Ren rubs the back of his neck before responding with a simple, "Relieved."

It was a completely neutral response with nary a trace of spite or vengeance.

"Is that all?"

"He abused a lot of students including my friends so yeah, I'm glad he turned himself in before he could hurt anyone else."

A hint of anger this time, directed at the injustice his friends had suffered. But none for himself. Why?

"You were about to be expelled because of him, weren't you?"

"Yeah. I was. And the teachers were all too happy to stand back and let it happen. Not a single one of them wanted to help. No one cares about the students. It's all about protecting the school's image and prestige or whatever." he says, waving a hand dismissively.

"Not everyone is like that," she murmurs, feeling guilt claw away at her. "If you talked to me maybe I could have done something..."

"Like what?" Each word is drowned in a sigh, like he's been through this a million times. Help offered to him that only yielded empty promises built on shallow words.

"Put in a good word for us? The student council president suddenly decides to stand up for the so-called troublemakers. It's your word against the volleyball coach with the coveted Olympic record. Who's the principal gonna believe? I'm sorry for saying this but the way I see it, you're just another pawn for the teachers to keep students in line. You don't have any real power."

For a moment everything becomes white noise. Amamiya is stuttering out something, perhaps some kind of awkward apology but it doesn't matter.

Pity. She was being _ pitied _by Ren Amamiya the transfer student, an underclassman, a simple country boy who knew nothing about the pressure she was under. He had no right to talk back to her like that! And yet, and yet...

She has nothing to say in her defense. He had spoken aloud what she hated herself for thinking. Placed in a position of leadership within the school and yet unable to help her fellow students. Truly ironic.

But if that was the case, then where would those people who could not get help from the authorities go? Those who felt trapped. Those who were cornered. Those that took justice into their own hands…

Vigilantes, as her sister would say.

"The Phantom Thieves of Heart."

He jumps. "Huh?!"

Her eyes narrow just a fraction. "Who do you think they are?"

"Uh, that's a, a good question..." He scratches the top of his scalp. He had expected to be punched or kicked for running his mouth but instead she had jumped straight to the cause of Kamoshida's change of heart.

_ Here it is. The reason why she's after us. Wait - punched or kicked? Typically, girls slap you when you piss them off right? Clearly I'm spending _ ** _way_ ** _ too much time in that other place. _

He shifts his weight again. "Whoever they are, they took a stand so that Kamoshida would never harm another student ever again."

She nods carefully. "So you're for them."

"They stopped him from abusing his power while everyone else was turning a blind eye." His reply is once again calm and matter-of-fact.

"Even though they basically brainwashed him?"

He raises both brows as if utterly astounded by the level of her imagination. "Brainwashing? You think that's how they did it?"

"It has to be some kind of hypnosis. Maybe they hired a hypnotist or they blackmailed him."

"Or maybe the guilt finally broke him."

_ Right. If only the world worked like that. Then trials would progress more smoothly and prosecutors wouldn't need to spend all day in court. _

She crosses her arms. "Then what was the point of the 'Calling Card'?"

"To psyche him out?" He taps his temple. "Y'know psychological warfare. Like one of those 'I know what you did' messages you find in whodunits."

"In short: blackmail."

"I wouldn't say-"

"You seem to approve of whatever dubious method they used. If we're basing our speculations on whodunits, I'd wager you've got some sort of personal ties with-"

"Niijima-san," he says icily, suddenly towering over her. "If you're implying that I'm a Phantom Thief or even remotely suggesting that my friends who've done nothing but silently endure all the prejudice and rumors, have done something harmful..."

"No, no." she cuts in. She stands her ground but holds her magazine up like a shield, just in case. "I just wanted to hear your opinion on the incident. That's all. I would never accuse anyone without any proof. Sorry."

He backs off and she lowers the magazine.

"Alright, fine. Say what you will about those involved with Kamoshida but my friends and I are not troublemakers." he replies, his grey-eyed gaze friendly but adamantine.

It renders her momentarily speechless and she wants to believe him, but her upbringing demands incontrovertible evidence over the words of the alleged delinquent no matter how well-behaved he appeared. She presses her lips together in a thin but polite smile. "Thank you. I'll take that into account."

Now would be the time to make his escape. At least that what Ren feels like Morgana is telling him based on the persistent nudging of forepaws from inside his bag.

Instead he stays fixed in place and surveys his surroundings. There are plenty of teens hanging out with their friends but only a handful of Shujin students. "So how long have you been out here anyway?"

"Oh, um, an hour maybe?" Makoto quickly glances at her phone, grimacing at how late it is and tries not to think of all the work that's waiting for her at home.

He nods. _ Yeah, that's about right. _

"That's a long time."

"What about you? What brings you here to this busy place? Are you meeting up with Sakamoto-kun or Takamaki-san?"

Just then a group of tourists walk by, squealing and chattering away. They flash their glitzy smartphones at every display case they dubbed, "totally kawaii".

Ren steps closer so he doesn't have to shout over the din of the crowd. Makoto involuntarily backs up against the pillar.

"If you must know, I was looking for cat toys for my cat."

"Cat toys. For your cat." she repeats dryly.

"Yeah! Say hi, Morgana!"

He swings his bag around and unzips the main compartment. A pair of deep blue eyes stares at her from the dark abyss of the transfer student's school bag.

Makoto's hand hovers over her mouth in an attempt to mask her surprise.

"Oh, hello there. She's so cute."

"He actually." says Ren, quickly correcting her.

"But isn't Morgana a girl's name?"

The cat actually looks at her with unmistakable disdain and turns his head.

"Normally, yes. But he's a boy and Morgana's the name he gave me when we met."

"He told you his name."

"Yep."

Either Amamiya liked cracking jokes with a deadpan expression or he was telling the truth.

"So yeah. Cat toys. He seems to like the red ones. I think it's 'cause it reminds him of fatty tuna. Isn't that right?"

Morgana hisses.

"Hey, be nice."

Makoto feels a little foolish talking to a cat but she has the faintest notion he can understand humans and deserved an apology. Either that or maybe she just wants to make friends with him so she could pet him.

"I'm sorry, Morgana. It's a fantastic name. It made me think of Morgan le Fay from the Arthurian legend. You know, the powerful magician?" She puts her hands together in hopes of getting in the cat's good graces.

Morgana's head emerges from the bag's opening and he mews as if accepting her apology. Then he looks at Amamiya and spits out a series of chirps and growls in the most pompous manner she's ever beheld on a cat.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just give me a minute."

She raises an eyebrow at both of them.

"Oh, he said we should get going before we miss the train."

"You understand what he's saying."

"Yeah, we communicate quite well."

More hissing.  
"Just not all the time. By the way, he accepts your apology. Oh, and he's taken a sudden interest in the legend of King Arthur. ...Which means another trip to the library."

She covers her mouth with one hand and breaks into a small fit of laughter at the absurdity of the situation. The tension from before defuses, like fog dissipating in sunlight. If she had been looking at Ren, she would have seen his face subconsciously break into a small but warm smile. Never would she have guessed that the stern and taciturn Amamiya would have a jocular side and that she would be carrying on an enjoyable conversation with him.

Makoto is about to recommend a translation of Mary Stewart's _ Merlin Trilogy _ but then she notices his gaze shift from her to something behind her. She turns around and sees a group of loudmouthed punks coming towards them. They're horsing around and cracking lame jokes which is met with obnoxious, high-pitched, knee-slapping laughter. Morgana retreats inside the bag.

She tilts her head, giving Amamiya a "we should move out of the way" look and steps to the left of the pillar.

"Hey, watch out."

Faster than she could react, he grabs her by the shoulders and turns her to the side, partially shielding her. If he hadn't moved her in time, one of the unlucky punks would have slammed into her, knocking her into a column of concrete. The jerk who narrowly missed her, socks his buddy in the arm and throws himself back into the group, downright oblivious to the fact that there were people around him.

Several long seconds pass with neither of them moving from their spot. Makoto looks up at him and her heart jumps at what she sees. Gone is the mild-mannered, docile student. In his place stands a young man whose eyes burn with a cold fury, terrible and fierce.

She shivers. Exactly what kind of hardships had this person gone through to bear an expression like that?

His grip on her shoulders tighten slightly and his cold gaze bores into the backs of the group of bungling teens who continue to strut around as if they owned the place. He keeps his hands firmly on her shoulders even after they pass out of sight. She feels the warmth from his hands permeate through the sleeves of her white turtleneck and into her skin. Her prudent side tells her she ought to speak up and politely disengage herself for propriety's sake, but she can't help but feel safe with his hands around her and that she finds his touch, pleasant. Comfortable, even.

Amamiya suddenly blinks as if remembering where he was. Gone is the fierce warrior. The mild-mannered student had returned.

"Oh, sorry." He immediately releases her and steps back, folding his hands behind his back.

"No, no it's fine." she says, hoping in vain that her cheeks aren't red. "Thank you. If you hadn't done that I would've been..."

He rubs his neck. "Er, I saw them coming and my body sort of just reacted on its own."

The heat from his hands leaves her shoulders and it makes her notice how cool the temperature of the Underground Mall was regulated at. A blessing during Japan's humid summers but a little too drafty for her liking even in late spring.

Her eyes linger on his hands for a moment before she straightens herself. "You must practice some kind of martial arts to have reflexes like that."

He rolls his neck. Left. Then right. "Ah, well...I go to the gym. Sometimes."

"Oh, really? With Sakamoto-kun?"

"Sometimes."

She smirks. He smiles back sheepishly.

"And what do you do at the gym?"

"The treadmill? And some weightlifting. Gotta balance both cardio and strength training." he says, pumping his arms up and down.

She nods approvingly. "Exactly. You need both to stay strong and healthy. Cardio maintains a healthy heart rate and increases endurance while strength training builds lean muscle and strengthens ligaments and tendons."

He smiles inwardly._ And then there's the Protein Shake to give you a little increase in health. _

She jabs the air with her right fist. "That's why I practice aikido. It's perfect for improving one's balance and coordination and uses a combination of cardio exercises and strength training as a foundation. Of course, exercise is nothing without a balanced diet-"

Amamiya is smiling at her as if caught up in nostalgia and it makes her wonder who he's thinking of.

She clears her throat. "Excuse me. I got a little carried away. It's probably weird for a girl to be rambling about martial arts and the like."

"Mm-mmm." He shakes his head. His phone vibrates and he quietly mutes it. "I've already taken up a lot of your time. I hope I'm not distracting you from anything."

She leans back on her heels. "Not at all. This was a nice break."

"From what?"

"Ah..."

He laughs good-naturedly. "I should get going. It's almost Morgana's feeding time and I don't want to miss my train."

She checks the time again. "I'll probably head home after this. Have a good afternoon, Amamiya-kun."

"Well, good luck with that. See you tomorrow, Niijima-san."

The lilt in his voice when he speaks her name fills her with warmth and it makes her look forward to tomorrow. She smiles at him and inclines her head politely. He smiles back pleasantly and slips past her, careful to avoid the oncoming crowd.

* * *

Ren strides quickly towards the Ginza Line, covering his nose as he passes the Body Chop Cosmetic Store. _ I'll never understand why people like perfume so much. It just smells like a bunch of artificial chemicals. _

After making it past the perfume zone, Morgana wriggles his head out of the bag. "What was that all about?"

"I dunno. I just felt like talking to her."

"You even dragged me into it. What - did you think if you were nice to her, she'd want to be friends?"

The boy with the talking cat stops at the foot of the stairs and adjusts his frames. "She's not doing this because she wants to."

"Regardless, one false move and the cops will show up at our door. We should be glad she _ isn't _ a cop. We'd probably be caught by now if she were." Morgana bristles and his pupils morph into thin slits.

Ren's eyes cloud over for an instant. _ I won't let that happen. _

"Don't you think she'd be better as an friend than an enemy?"

"She's the goody-two shoes honor student!" he hisses, aggravated. "She's only interested in currying favor with the teachers. Why else would she be spying on us? If we let her into our group, we'll be giving her an opportunity to feed the higher-ups information so she'll get a shiny letter of recommendation and you three get expelled and arrested!"

"Being the student council president may seem like an easy way to suck up to the adults but really, it's just a convenient position for the teachers or the principal to foist work they don't want to do on the poor student who volunteered. And if said president does not comply? Bye-bye college recommendation. Not because you're not following the rules, but because we can!" he shoots back coldly.

Morgana shuts his mouth and sinks into the school bag. Ren also snaps his mouth shut, resuming his reticent student persona.

His eyes cut across the halls of the station past Yon-Germain Bakery, as he weaves through waves and waves of people.

"She still following us?" he mutters, looking straight ahead.

"No. I don't see her at all. Looks like she wasn't lying."

"Good." _ Darn. _

Ren turns another corner and ducks into a small alcove for a short breather. "See? I got her off our tail."

"For now. Are you going to do this every time you see her?"

"Well…" He puts a hand on his chin, smiling. Morgana shoots him a look.

"Tell me you're not actually considering doing that."

"Nah, don't worry. Act normal and keep a low profile while we wait for Madarame's change of heart, was it?" He flexes his fingers.

"Look, I know Niijima seems...nice. Enough. And under different circumstances she might even be a good ally." Morgana flattens his ears and rests his head on Ren's shoulder. "It feels like everyone's against us."

Ren pats his head.

"That's what makes us special." he says wryly. "But we won't stop. Not when there's still people crying out for help and they have no one else to turn to."

Morgana places a paw on his palm. His feline eyes gleam with newfound conviction, two retroreflectors fettering out the darkness lurking in the depths of human hearts.

"Right. Because that is our justice!"


End file.
